Category Archives: Word Study

Goal: We will respond to blogposts with comments that are meaningful and easy to understand.

When writing comments, we remember our Magical Rules:

We will use Popplet.com to help us keep track of what we think makes a quality comment. After discussing the rules, you will have a chance to write a comment on our blog that shows you understand something about writing quality comments.

1. What do you think “We do good work” looks like on a comment?
Let’s look at some examples collected by Master Teacher Kathleen Morris to help us clarify our thinking. How do you know a comment shows “good work?”

What about these comments?

2. What does it mean “we are friendly” when writing comments?
Let’s watch a video created by Mrs. Yollis’ third grade class from California. They have some great tips for us.

Thanks to Mr. Byrne at Free Technology for Teachers, I have discovered the website, Wordia, which is essentially a collection of videos exploring word definitions. Although Wordia has produced several beautifully made videos of celebrities talking about words, one can also upload a video related to a word of choice.

Although not all the videos are kid-friendly, I see an educational value in this type of word study. Our brains are wired to remember connections, not facts. Definitions on their own may have little meaning to someone with a developing vocabulary. Stories, comedy and performances on the other hand are far more memorable. Thus, Wordia, with its engaging approach to language, provides exactly what the brain craves in order to expand vocabulary – connections.